Tag: Junior Doctors

Meeting up with a colleague for dinner a few nights ago, I was reminded of how smooth life can be at times. Here I was, little worries (since it was after work) and chilling at dinner with a friend.

My friend looks at me with a serious expression on her face.

“I’ve got something to tell you, but please don’t tell anyone else.”

“Yea, sure” I reply casually.

“You know X, one of our colleagues from the Emergency Department? She has resigned due to the pressure put on her by one of the consultants. She’s now got depression. I saw her at the supermarket the other day, and she looked like a lost soul”

I looked at her with a bewildered expression. I remembered that colleague. She was nice and friendly, although I had only spoken to her like 3 or 4 times. I thought back to my interactions with that particular consultant, and reeled with disgust. He often put the junior staff down, and humiliated them in front of other doctors. I hated presenting cases to him, because he would constantly interrupt my flow of thought, and point out my mistakes. He was rude and disrespectful.

I felt sad too for my colleague who was now suffering depression from such a horrible human being. I couldn’t imagine what suffering she must have put up with, the tortures of putting up with such a man.

My friend and I both sat in silence for a while.

We both hoped karma would come back and get this man for his horrible actions. I don’t know what else to do to help. I felt wronged by this man, and I’m sure several junior doctors have suffered immensely from him as well. But I don’t know what to do. The environment in ED is just toxic, and days have come and gone where I question my abilities, I question why I am still doing medicine.

Are there things we are just supposed to put up with such as these? I’m going to be dealing with this man again probably next year. If I report him early and he loses his job, I won’t have to see him again next year.

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I'm a male in his mid twenties working as a junior doctor. I'm passionate about medicine, and I love studying Chinese
I blog about medicine and life in general, because it's an outlet for me to express myself, and it helps me to put my thoughts into perspective.